Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Next-generation cell and gene therapies are expected to provide individualized treatment based on continuous monitoring of appropriate disease markers coupled with precise spatiotemporal regulation of therapeutic delivery.Compared to conventional therapies relying on chemical inducers, which afford limited ability to modulate dose and timing, remote-controlled genetics is expected to be transformative, enabling real-time, reversible, localized and patient-specific control of genetic and cellular activity by coupling engineered biological systems with external physical triggers-light, ultrasound, magnetic fields, electrical currents or heat-to drive gene expression or protein secretion on demand (Figure 1).In these systems, physical signals serve as a wireless communicator, activating gene switches through transducers such as natural responsive proteins or protein-protein interactions, responsive nanoparticles, polymeric scaffolds or hydrogels.Here, we briefly summarize available physical modalities, actual and potential applications, and prospects and challenges for the future. PHYSICAL INPUT MODALITIES FOR REMOTE-CONTROLLED GENETICSThe currently available technologies include optogenetics, sonogenetics, magnetogenetics, electrogenetics and thermogenetics.(i) Optogenetic platforms provide millisecond precision through light-responsive transcription factors and ion channels or pumps, 1 but offer limited tissue penetration.However, recent advances in far-red and near-infrared sensitive systems 2 have expanded the range of available light-sensitive proteins and also improved the tissue penetration depth.(ii) Sonogenetic systems typically
DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.70553
Authors: Zhihua Lin, Martin Fussenegger
Institutions: ETH Zurich, University of Basel
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,470
OpenAlex ID: W4417356068